The present invention relates to covers for cribs. More specifically, the present invention relates to covers for use while the crib is occupied or unoccupied to prevent unwanted entry into the crib.
Crib covers for retaining an infant within a crib or for preventing unwanted entry into a crib, such as those taught in Gomez-Marcial U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,534; Christian U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,297; Cleary U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,721 and Zindell U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,396, are found in a variety of configurations which provide varying degrees of effectiveness in securing a crib.
Although covers can be used when the crib is occupied, the infant in the crib must not be able to pull himself to a standing position. Once a child has become able to stand in the crib, the cover can only be used when the infant is not in the crib.
The above inventions teach crib covers of screen or fabric for attachment to a standard crib. With the exception of Christian, these covers are not designed for easy removal, but instead provide openings for removal of the child through the screen.
None of these patents address the problem of preventing domestic animals from entering the crib and therefore fail to be adequately constructed for effective exclusion of domestic animals. Gomez-Marcial is concerned with screening out insects, while the remainder are directed to retaining a child within the crib.
Goldman U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,778 also teaches a screen covering for a crib or playpen. Goldman is simply draped over the crib and would not support any weight without collapsing.
Abajian U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,760, which teaches a crib made of tubes and screen, while referring to protection from animals, is a complex self contained device which does not lend itself to attachement to a standard crib.
A number of additional devices are taught in the art, as exemplified by the patents to Ruiz U.S. Pat. No. 2,927,331; Heffernan U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,678; Scott U.S. Pat. No. 2,781,523; Potter U.S. Pat. No. 2,699,794; Mover U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,247 and Ball U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,406. These devices are cumbersome and complex, and the structures taught are not readily adaptable to currently standard cribs.